Oh my so many messages in the past few days that I have not checked back! Thanks for all the kind words and I'll try to respond to the questions in order (since I can be quite the tangential typer)... BUT First I'd like to clear up the misunderstanding that this is a roof top garden... This "block" of homes in NYC happens to have a public driveway where kids play, inhabitants do a weird sort of k-turnish parking to put their cards into their private 1 car garages... and the sanitation department picks up our garbage! Below is a photo stitched image taken from the 2nd floor bedroom in the "back" of the house: From the bottom of the pic to the top is: 1. home which you can not see that I am taking the pic from 2. MY backyard or "courtyard" 3. 1 car garage ------4. mirrored on the other side of the alleyway 3. neighbors 1 car garage 2. neighbors backyard or "courtyard" 1. Neighbors home which you CAN see b/c I am facing it :) Ohh and the trees that are in the front of their homes so I don't confuse anyone and make them think the trees are growing off of the top of their homes! I took a few pics to demonstrate the length of the "block" shared with about 60 homes total but the stitching became a little crazy looking due to all the extreme angles I had to take to show it all... I really wanted to show you all just to demonstrate how terrible and sterile cities can be... Even though the part of NYC that I live in is not full of sky scrapers (although I can see them from the park and my roof) it is indeed a concrete jungle with rooftops covered with asphalt and all sorts of tarred up with everyone's yard completely covered with concrete... My neighbor refers to my backyard as a little oasis on a good day, and a jungle when she is in a joking mood! Now to the questions: Caroleena: If your bag is made of a synthetic material, it will most likely last for more than 1 season... The reason it is recycled is probably b/c it would sit in a landfill for much longer than our lifespan... Unless it is made of paper and the company you had purchased it from is trying to prevent another tree from being cut down to make a paper bag. If it is indeed made of paper, it might not hold up for a few days ;) There are synthetic materials that are coated for added UV protection since the sun's rays pack quite a wallop of energy even for some synthetic materials! I was actually looking for some larger sacks to use on the roof top of the garage... Something larger than just a little rice sack and I came across this sort of product.. You can buy various sized and types of bags from $10+ and they can be quite huge! I had the idea of planting some Highbush blueberries on the roof each getting it's own sack.. I think the large size would mean I wouldn't have to worry too much about watering them... Of course I am not sure since I'd need to take into consideration a good deal of variables such as the max weight of the full size bush + the max weight of all the soil in the bag when it is fully saturated during a heavy rainstorm. I'd also need to know the max loading of the huge beams under the roof... The porosity of the bag and if I'd have to make holes for drainage and how would that affect the stability of the bag are also some considerations... I could always just go small and try and make a small basic green roof but that isn't too much fun for me ;) http://www.bagcorp.com/p_combobags.php Anyways it's just an idea... dulcimerduo: The bottom of the pond is poured concrete with a slight slope towards the middle... If I could rebuild the pond I would change a bunch of stuff but for what it's worth, it is fine. The sides of the pond are cobble stone like blocks. They were picked up from (either Home Depot or some local place for contractors) I believe they are made of granite. I am not sure of how porous the rocks are but just to be safe, the entire inside of the pond is lined with a thin layer of Hydraulic Cement. I was a little bothered by having to cover the natural look of the stones inside the pond but in 1 year it winds up being covered entirely by a sort of string algae and having to scrub/remove the algea every year for the sake of seeing the stones imho defeats the calming environment that the pond provides! The glass block is naturally waterproof so only the cement used in between the blocks and around them are coated with Hydraulic Cement. If you plan on doing a very large concrete raised pond you might enjoy the instructable that someone had made detailing their pond that they built out of concrete using rebar and wood as a form for the curving walls... http://www.instructables.com/id/The_Ultimate_Koi_Pond/ You will need to make a username/password for the free website since they recently made some changes which require you to login in order to see the plethora of detailed pics that people include in each step of their process. concretenprimroses: Heh... goldfish... they really are such dirty fish but in return they are somewhat easier to take care of! I had on numerous occasions read that they lack a normal digestive system like many other fish so they eat more frequently and will overeat if you overfeed them and in return provide you with lots of fast fish waste. I've also read that b/c of this lack of a stomach you have to feed them a winter diet to avoid food from sitting in their digestive system and rotting since they are cold blooded and their digestive system slows with the lower water temperatures. Here is an article on the digestive system of carp (goldfish were domesticated from a type of carp). http://www.pond-doctor.co.uk/longdigestion.html Also, goldfish are carnivorous and even after over feeding my goldfish they will start plucking at the bottom looking for any food... This stirs up any solids that would otherwise settle to the bottom and clouds the water. FYI: I had planned on using my goldfish as a means of creating an organic fertilizer for my outdoor annuals and perennials so I overfeed my fish and in return I use the water from the pond to water the plants. I then fill up the water in the pond with clean tap water which has usually been standing outside in a container for at least a full day so that the chlorine can evaporate out of it since it is treated Tap water. I try not to let the water sit outside for too long so that mosquitoes start laying eggs in it! Once your goldfish (females) reach around 3 years of age they become sexually mature and start to spawn... The males will chase the females around all day long and bump into them... Since a large number of my fish are now over 3 years of age I find a few of them racing around the small pond which kicks up a lot of debris so the water is constantly cloudy! Since my pond is so small it does require a bit of work to take care of with so many fish in it! I am trying to keep it as both an aquaponic setup and a means for making an organic fish poo tea fertilizer for the plants in the soil. The bio filter that I grew over the waterfall to convert ammonia -> nitrite -> nitrate and the waterfall that helps evaporate the nitrogen into the atmosphere just doesn't cut it. I only have pumps in my pond since I don't have any room to put anything more than a pump so I have to make due with what I have for trying to keep the water clean. At first when the weather warms up, string algae and sheets of it will grow everywhere... even over the moss and leaves of any plants that the water happens to flow over... The string algae is a nitrate processing machine even though it is a bit gross to look at since it looks all slimy and dark! Even though it is gross it keeps the water clear unless the fish disturb the waste on the bottom when they forage looking for food. The string algae was recently scrubbed off to increase the aesthetic looks of the pond b/c I had guests coming over and in return the water is now a slight hue of green due to the increase of suspended algae that are consuming the nitrates that the string algae on the rocks once took care of. Feel free to ask more specific questions about what I did If I just confused you with this wall of text! luna_llena_feliz: The shelf connected to the garage is made of a bunch of 1. 1" diameter pvc pipes connected with "L" shaped connecters to form a base that adds support... It's like a giant rectangle that a slightly larger rectangular piece of lattice sits on top of! 2. Lattice overlaid onto the pvc base and secured with UV coated tie wraps 3. The pvc base + lattice are on top of multiple heavy duty hanging pot hangers that are anchored into the garage using concrete anchors. The garage walls are cinderblocks covered with stone and brick and painted over using a waterproof cement made by Drylock. Again thanks for all the praise and kind words! Mike p.s. I think I now have to figure out how to support a large glass bowl or jar so I can do what calamity_J did!!! here is a link to her pic http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL167/1640891/18561881/318338361.jpg Oh... ONE LAST PIC!!! (for this response! mwahaha) Here is what my yard looks like at night... I have rope LED lights all around the garden... The pic was taken with the shutter open for 2 seconds so some of the lights look intense but in actuality all the lights set a really somber and romantic mood with just enough light to be able to see eachother's faces and "drinks" on the table! At the moment the pond lights are currently hanging out of the pond. One of the lights had gotten condensation in it the plan is to eventually replace the halogen bulbs with LED bulbs... I just need to either find light fixtures prebuilt so that the LEDs use the same transformer or buy a new one :(

I received my wonderful box from Jeanette! It was full to the brim with bright orange and black wrapped surprises! I got: a wonderful Halloween kitchen towel. I love to change my kitchen towels for the season and didn't have a Halloween-themed one - thanks! a cute pumpkin votive candle holder with a scented candle in it a black and orange paper lantern a wonderfully scented potpurri mix a halloween wind sock a spider web wine/champagne goblet (so cute!) a spider on a spring a silver starred Halloween hat (sorry Jeanette - no digital camera to take a picture - my daughter kept saying "you're not going to wear that in front of my friends are you? - LOL!" a spooky hanging ghosty that emits an eeery sound - scares the daylights out of my little dog......... mummy's passion fruit tea bags and a ghost tin of chocolate kisses (oops all gone - how did that happen he he) Thanks Jeanette! Sue G.

Dr. Besser's advice really only works for surface arsenic. If the arsenic is the inorganic type drawn up from soil or groundwater contamination, rinsing will NOT work very well. In fact, Consumer Reports recommends cooking 1 cup of rice in 6 cups of water, and pouring off the excess! Rinsing very well, and cooking the rice in extra water and dumping the excess (which unfortunately puts it right back into the environment one way or another), removes at most, about 30% of the arsenic. Things that can help: Sulfur helps eliminate arsenic from the body, so eat foods high in sulfur, such as eggs, beans, legumes and garlic. Eat plenty of fiber every day. Garlic, pectin, selenium, L-Cysteine and L-Methionine, Vitamin C, and Superoxide dismutase (SOD) are all good detoxifiers. Be sure to read up on recommended allowances; some of these are mildly toxic in very large quantities. Have a hair analysis done if you suspect arsenic toxicity. Here is a link that might be useful: Boston NPR: 5 Things You Need To Know About Arsenic In Rice

Mexican Rice from AmericaâÂÂs Test Kitchen Because the spiciness of jalapeños varies from chili to chili, we try to control the heat by removing the ribs and seeds (the source of most of the heat) from those chills that are cooked in the rice. Use an oven safe pot about 12 inches in diameter so that the rice cooks evenly and in the time indicated. The potâÂÂs depth is less important than its diameter; weâÂÂve successfully used both a straight-sided sauté pan and a Dutch oven. Whichever type of pot you use, it should have a tight-fitting, oven safe lid. Vegetable broth can be substituted for chicken broth. 2 medium tomato, ripe tomatoes (about 12 ounces) cored and quartered 1 medium onion, preferably white, peeled, trimmed of root end,and quartered 3 medium jalapeno peppers 2 cups long grain white rice 1/3 cup canola oil 4 clove of garlic, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 4 teaspoons) 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth 1 tablespoon tomato paste 1 1/2 teaspoons table salt 1/2 cup cilantro, fresh, minced 1 lime, cut into wedges for serving Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Process tomatoes and onion in food processor until smooth and thoroughly pureed, about 15 seconds, scraping down bowl if necessary. Transfer mixture to liquid measuring cup; you should have 2 cups (if necessary, spoon off excess so that volume equals 2 cups). Remove ribs and seeds from 2 jalapeños and discard; mince flesh and set aside. Mince remaining jalapeño, including ribs and seeds; set aside. Place rice in large fine-mesh strainer and rinse under cold running water until water runs clear, about 1 1/2 minutes. Shake rice vigorously in strainer to remove all excess water. Heat oil in heavy-bottomed ovensafe 12-inch straight-sided sauté pan or Dutch oven with tight-fitting lid over medium-high heat, 1 to 2 minutes. Drop 3 or 4 grains rice in oil; if grains sizzle, oil is ready. Add rice and fry, stirring frequently, until rice is light golden and translucent, 6 to 8 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, add garlic and seeded minced jalapeños; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 1/2 minutes. Stir in pureed tomatoes and onions, chicken broth, tomato paste, and salt; increase heat to medium-high and bring to boil. Cover pan and transfer to oven; bake until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender, 30 to 35 minutes, stirring well after 15 minutes. Stir in cilantro and reserved minced jalapeño with seeds to taste. Serve immediately, passing lime wedges separately. Serves 6-8 as a side dish